Technical Field
The present disclosure pertains to educational game systems and, more particularly, to a dominoes style game and method of play for learning basic math operations.
Description of the Related Art
The game of dominoes has been played in many variations throughout the centuries. It is believed that dominoes originated from dice and were developed by the Chinese at some time in the 12th century. The game has evolved over the years to now include 28 rectangular blocks having a playing face divided into two equal-sized squares. Dots or “pips” representing numbers are formed in each square. A single dot represents the number one and two dots represent the number two. Up to six dots can appear in a single square. Some squares can be left blank. A domino block having two blank squares or having the same number in both squares is known as a double.
According to one set of rules, at the commencement of the game, the dominoes are mixed with their faces downwards. Each person draws seven pieces at random. Various mechanisms can be employed to determine which player places the first piece on the playing surface. The next player must match the number at either end of the piece he may choose, according to the number of dots or the blank in the chosen square of the domino. The second block is thus placed with the matching number up against the first played number. Whenever any player cannot match a played domino, either the domino last put down, or of that unpaired domino at the other end of the row, then she must draw a block from the mixed blocks and the next person plays. Thus they play alternately, either until one player has played all his or her pieces, and thereby won the game, or until the game is blocked; that is, when neither party can play by matching the pieces when unpaired at either end. The winner is the player who possesses the lowest number of dots on the pieces remaining. In playing this game it is to the advantage of the player to dispossess, as early as possible, the higher number pieces, such as a double-six, five, four, etc. Sometimes when two persons play, they take each only seven pieces, and agree to play or draw, that is when one cannot come in or pair the pieces on the board at the end unmatched, he then is to draw from the fourteen pieces in stock until he finds one to suit.
Over the years, various inventors have patented alterations to the domino blocks or to the method of play or both.
For example, in 1873 a patent issued to Louineau (U.S. Pat. No. 143,703) described a modification to the traditional dominoes game wherein different number sets of points or dots are of different colors. In 1881 Crandall obtained U.S. Pat. No. 243,855 for dominoes with partial animal shapes thereon. And in 1882, Sheldon (U.S. Pat. No. 253,895) designed a combination playing card and dominoes. The following year Williams (U.S. Pat. No. 278,646) used dominoes that employ different colors for different number sets of dots. Twelve years later, Troelltsch's U.S. Pat. No. 533,216, issued in 1898, for a picture game for illustrating first reckoning. The pictures include black dots, colored circles, hearts, and a phase of the moon, among others. Mathematical operations are also disclosed. And just before the turn of the century, Clarke obtained U.S. Pat. No. 599,767 that described game pieces that can be used in games analogous to dominoes.
In the 20th century, a number of additional patents followed:
Tavenner (U.S. Pat. No. 741,984) illustrates a picture game that includes dots and other symbols that are suitable for instructing children in the rudiments of arithmetic. Mandelbaum (U.S. Pat. No. 793,455) provides domino game pieces that include sets of dots and suits of cards. Rieth (U.S. Pat. No. 956,827) proposed a combination of game blocks that can be used to play games of cards and dominoes. Each block shows a card suit and a card value. Zuydhoek (U.S. Pat. No. 1,057,206) uses dominoes or playing cards in which numbers and colors can be used.
Kremer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,327) describes an apparatus for playing a game, in which domino-like members are arranged in abutted relationship by matching a visible symbol on one member with a visible symbol on another member, consisting of a set of domino-like members each having two parts, each part bearing a visible symbol and mating elements individual to the symbol borne by the part whereby during the game the correctness of matching is checked by whether the mating elements of the two matched parts will cooperate. One part has mating elements on three sides.
Kuo (U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,291) uses a number of rectangular blocks of a prescribed shape that occupy a predetermined area when assembled together, and a corresponding area of triangular shaped blocks of various sizes and shapes. In addition to creating artistic designs by different arrangements of the blocks, which may be of different colors, the rectangular blocks can be used in the fashion of a domino game, and the dimensional relationship between the triangular blocks and the rectangular blocks teaches the basic concepts of mathematics, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, areas, and the like.
Lemons (U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,566) provides a dominoes-style mathematical operation game.
Vildosola (U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,875) describes a domino playing piece system for helping children learn and recognize numbers and animals. The device includes a plurality of playing pieces with each playing piece comprising a display surface having first and second regions and a border between the first and second regions. The display surface of the playing piece has numeric indicia displayed thereon. Each of the first and second regions of the playing piece has an illustration displayed thereon with each illustration representing a numeric value. The sum of the numeric values of the illustrations of the first and second regions equals the value of the numeric indicia displayed on the playing piece.
Neiser (Design 142,491) offers a design for a set of dominoes while Underwood (Design 338,243) illustrates a design for a set of educational block tiles. Domino tiles show different geometrical shapes in the place of dots. And Nathanson (Design 662,149) provides a design for a set of domino tiles that include graphic displays of fruits.